Torquay Utd

[Longsider]

About to go into administration and a real chance of being wound up. I remember play of semi final games against them. And we are sulking about not doing well in the top league. Puts things into perspective, for me anyway.

[Guller Bull]

What a shame, always felt like a the friendliest of the three Devon league clubs but I suppose lives in their shadow.

Torquay itself has a population of only about 60 odd thousand but there are other nearby towns like Paignton and Brixham etc so you have thought it could easily sustain a league team. It’s quite a wealthy area as well so surprised it has got to this.

[Poulton-le-Claret]

Always had a soft spot for them ever since I worked with a really passionate Torquay fan. Not in contact with him any more but he must be gutted.

Hope they can survive.

[Culmclaret]

What a shame, always felt like a the friendliest of the three Devon league clubs but I suppose lives in their shadow.

Torquay itself has a population of only about 60 odd thousand but there are other nearby towns like Paignton and Brixham etc so you have thought it could easily sustain a league team. It’s quite a wealthy area as well so surprised it has got to this.

Went past Plainmoor on Tuesday. Very sad. Although parts of South Devon are prosperous the Torbay Local Authority area has one of the lowest GVAs per head in England. Its population is about 130,000. Excluding the pandemic the lowest crowd to watch a Burnley league game since WW1 was at Torquay in Feb 86 on a freezing foggy night. One of our several dismal displays there!

[claretonthecoast1882]

Whenever I hear Torquay can't help but think of the short journey for an early kick off on a Sunday and Frank Casper.

[Culmclaret]

Our last visit was the pre-season friendly in 2011. My first sight of a couple of young lads called Kieran Trippier and Benjamin Mee. Whatever happened to them…?

[Boss Hogg]

Always had a soft spot for them ever since I worked with a really passionate Torquay fan. Not in contact with him any more but he must be gutted.

Hope they can survive.

I gave a soft spot for them too and hope they survive.

[Bordeauxclaret]

Whenever I hear Torquay can't help but think of the short journey for an early kick off on a Sunday and Frank Casper.

I think Frank might have classed it as a late Saturday kick off.

[bfcjg]

Our last visit was the pre-season friendly in 2011. My first sight of a couple of young lads called Kieran Trippier and Benjamin Mee. Whatever happened to them…?

I went to that friendly we were on holiday in the South West, lots of Clarets drinking around the harbour and when I got to the ground the first pub I walked into had Rocky entertaining everyone and Selwyn was also in there, I think it was the last time I saw Selwyn. Tripps and Mee ,how we could do with them now!

[Culmclaret]

For those of us a certain age, happy memories of results on the Grandstand classifieds such as Torquay Utd E Stockport Co E…

[Clovius Boofus]

I remember getting soaked wet through while freezing my bits off when we played them at their gaff over the Christmas period back in the old Fourth Division days. We got beat 2-0. It was an awful game of hit-and-hope in the sleet and mud, but what I remember the most is getting lashed by a wintery south-westerly throughout the game.

[Culmclaret]

I remember getting soaked wet through while freezing my bits off when we played them at their gaff over the Christmas period back in the old Fourth Division days. We got beat 2-0. It was an awful game of hit-and-hope in the sleet and mud, but what I remember the most is getting lashed by a wintery south-westerly throughout the game.

That was 29 Dec 1990. Total no-show of a performance. Players looked well hungover!

[Clovius Boofus]

That was 29 Dec 1990. Total no-show of a performance. Players looked well hungover!

Yeah, I bet they were.

[Westleigh]

Didn’t they beat us in a playoff one year?

[ElectroClaret]

Didn’t they beat us in a playoff one year?

1991, the aeroplane game, wasn't it?

[StayingDown4Ever]

1991, the aeroplane game, wasn't it?

What did it say?

[boatshed bill]

I was in their biggest ever crowd, a 3-3 FA Cup draw with Spurs in 1965.
Still go occasionally, this is a great shame but not entirely surprising. As above, Torquay itself can hardly be described as thriving.

[Dark Cloud]

Saw that plane with my own eyes from the top of the Bee Hole/ Longside, otherwise I'd probably have assumed it was an urban myth!!! Yes, it was definitely at the Torquay play off second leg and I'm not sure what they'd have done with it if we'd been 3-0 up after 85 minutes!! (Probably on sale or return!)

[Casper2]

About to go into administration and a real chance of being wound up. I remember play of semi final games against them. And we are sulking about not doing well in the top league. Puts things into perspective, for me anyway.

Yes because Torquay have a very similar history to us

[durhamclaret]

What did it say?

Staying down 4 ever love Rovers

[Westleigh]

Staying down 4 ever love Rovers

I think Staying down 4 ever knew that before he asked.

[durhamclaret]

Just noticed the posters name

[dougcollins]

That's why some think he's a rovers fan.

[Big Vinny K]

Yes because Torquay have a very similar history to us

That clearly not what he was saying.

I remember playing them in the play offs too and then knocking us out. There are not many teams in our history we have played in play off games so it’s not surprising that you have some memories or association with these clubs.

Remember a very young Lee Sharpe playing for Torquay. Think that’s where United bought him from.

[THEWELLERNUT70]

I went twice in the same season , the second being the play off semi final ( and witnessed Frank Casper's antics in the flesh )

[boatshed bill]

That clearly not what he was saying.

I remember playing them in the play offs too and then knocking us out. There are not many teams in our history we have played in play off games so it’s not surprising that you have some memories or association with these clubs.

Remember a very young Lee Sharpe playing for Torquay. Think that’s where United bought him from.

You are right, Lee Sharpe was 17 in 1988. Sold to Man Utd for what was then a record fee for a YTS player.

[Big Vinny K]

You are right, Lee Sharpe was 17 in 1988. Sold to Man Utd for what was then a record fee for a YTS player.

YTS !!
That brings back a few memories.
Loved that United side with Sharpe and Giggs on the wing. You cannot beat watching a team with 2 fantastic wingers tearing the opposition apart

[ClaretTony]

Torquay - Plainmoor - the ground where I completed my 92 in February 1986. Although I have no fondness for them having banned away fans in the 1980s, it really is sad to see another football club in trouble like this.

[claretonthecoast1882]

I went twice in the same season , the second being the play off semi final ( and witnessed Frank Casper's antics in the flesh )

He was more entertaining than the match

[Tribesmen]

Poor Gulls , lived in Torquay for 3 years went up a good few times to watch them at Plainmoor always look for their scores , hummmm .

Had not visited Torquay for about close to 38 years and decided a year or two to go just for the day , goodness what a hole it has turned out to be all very sad i must say .

[boatshed bill]

Poor Gulls , lived in Torquay for 3 years went up a good few times to watch them at Plainmoor always look for their scores , hummmm .

Had not visited Torquay for about close to 38 years and decided a year or two to go just for the day , goodness what a hole it has turned out to be all very sad i must say .

Very much the case with many seaside "holiday" towns, unfortunately.

[expoultryboy]

Hope they survive , always enjoyed going there . I remember 8 of us going for the weekend , the weather was that nice , that 3 of them didn't bother with the game and stayed on the grolsh at the hotel. We had a good following and i think Winston White scored the only goal of the game. Sunday was a mass game of football on the beach. Happy days

[FCBurnley]

Torquay was never a footballing town.

[Quickenthetempo]

Torquay - Plainmoor - the ground where I completed my 92 in February 1986. Although I have no fondness for them having banned away fans in the 1980s, it really is sad to see another football club in trouble like this.

A little before my time, but I have previously read that seaside towns often attracted big volumes of trouble makers to them, in the football violence days.

[Dawlishclaret]

Saw them against us at Plainmoor many moons ago. Leighton James was in our side.Can't remember much about the game other than little atmospere and I think it may have ended in a draw.

[ElectroClaret]

Was it ever established one way or the other as to whether ex-R*vers player Simon Garner was directly involved in that aeroplane business in 1991?

That was certainly the strong rumour at the time.

[Quickenthetempo]

Was it ever established one way or the other as to whether ex-R*vers player Simon Garner was directly involved in that aeroplane business in 1991?

That was certainly the strong rumour at the time.

He denies it, but who cares? It was funny.

The guy who printed up t shirts of stick men shooting down the plane made a killing, as did all the fanzine sellers at the time with similar pictures on the front.

[Wokingclaret]

What's Helen (ex Soccer Am) going to do now........

[gandhisflipflop]

Shocked to hear it has become a hole.

I thought it was meant to be the English riviera?

[TheFamilyCat]

I remember them coming to the Turf with a young Lee Sharpe in their team. It was towards the end of the season and I guess the deal for him to go to United in the summer had already been agreed.

There was a lot of hype about him and bit of excitement about the prospect of seeing a future world star on The Turf. I think he was on the bench.